Porch Pirates Are Coming for Your Packages — And Some States Are Getting It Way Worse Than Others
Jun 11, 2026, 9:56 AM
You ordered it. You tracked it. You waited for it. And then some random person in a hoodie walked up to your porch and just… took it. Welcome to the golden age of porch piracy, America.
Package theft has become one of the most frustrating — and expensive — realities of the online shopping boom. And while the numbers show some signs of improvement, don’t pop the champagne just yet.
The Big Picture
For the first time since tracking began, the number of estimated incidents dropped year over year, falling from 120 million in 2023 to just over 104 million in 2024–2025. Progress! Kind of. While the overall estimated total loss to consumers dropped by about a billion dollars, the average value of each package snatched actually rose by $11 — an 8% increase. So thieves are stealing smarter, not harder.
Overall, 41% of Americans have had a package or delivery stolen at least once, and 1 in 4 had one stolen within the past year. On any given day, porch pirates steal over 250,000 deliveries. That’s not a typo.
About 62% of online shoppers feel anxious while waiting for packages to arrive, with nearly one-quarter reporting “moderate” to “severe” anxiety that a package will be stolen. Honestly, same.
The States Getting Hit Hardest
According to SafeWise, these are the top 10 states by total dollar value of package theft:
| Rank | State | Estimated Theft Value | Estimated Incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $1,549,821,331 | 11,824,411 |
| 2 | New York | $1,290,071,402 | 7,828,212 |
| 3 | Texas | $1,187,166,154 | 6,011,349 |
| 4 | Florida | $984,168,232 | 6,417,831 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $661,896,167 | 5,231,008 |
| 6 | Michigan | $480,048,238 | 3,263,077 |
| 7 | Ohio | $470,278,751 | 3,145,906 |
| 8 | Georgia | $467,806,503 | 2,870,888 |
| 9 | Illinois | $401,581,152 | 3,590,650 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $368,631,412 | 2,577,863 |
California topping the list shouldn’t shock anyone — it’s the most populous state in the country. But the sheer scale of these numbers is still a gut punch.
So Where Does Colorado Land?
Colorado won’t show up on the top 10 most-stolen list, but don’t get too comfortable. Among nationwide victims of package theft, 1.25% live in Colorado, with about 3% — or 1 out of every 33 people — losing at least one package to theft every three months. People in Colorado are actually 25% less likely to experience package theft than the average American. Good news, right? Sure — until you zoom into Denver.
Police in Denver maintain a dashboard on reported package thefts, and as of mid-November 2025, package thefts in Denver are up 31% from 2022, with arrests stemming from package thefts averaging just 2.6% over that same period. In other words, there’s roughly a 97% chance that whoever grabbed your package off your front porch is still out there, free as a bird.
Packages stolen in Colorado had a median value of $87 in 2024, and an estimated 178,720 people in Colorado had at least one package stolen over a three-month period.
Organized Crime Is Getting In On It
This isn’t just opportunistic randos anymore. In recent years, there have been reports of organized theft rings using very clever tactics — some use electronic scramblers to mess with security camera signals, follow delivery trucks, wear fake uniforms to pick up freshly delivered packages, and some even hack into delivery companies or bribe shipping workers to find out which packages are especially valuable.
The Law Is Finally Playing Catch-Up — Slowly
As of 2025, 11 states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books that specifically address package theft, most of which elevate the crime to a felony offense, with penalties ranging from six months to 30 years in jail depending on the state.
While stealing mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service is a federal crime, theft of items sent through other carriers such as UPS and FedEx isn’t — and lawmakers nationwide are trying to fix that gap.
Driving the recent decline in theft is largely a drop in multi-package thefts, which fell a whopping 36% between 2024 and 2025. Whether that’s smarter consumers, more security cameras, or better legislation — probably a little of everything.
What You Can Actually Do About It
Look, a Ring doorbell is great for catching your porch pirate on video, but studies show doorbell cameras do not significantly deter package theft. They’re basically just making a very expensive crime documentary.
The better play? The best strategies for package theft mitigation include scheduling deliveries when you’re home, using secure delivery options like in-garage or trunk delivery, and concealing packages from street view. People who own one or more security devices report 40% less anxiety about package theft, so at minimum, something is better than nothing.
And if the worst does happen, treat porch piracy like any other theft — itemize the stolen items, compile evidence including receipts, delivery notifications, and any video footage, then notify the police and submit your claim to your insurance company as soon as possible.
Bottom line: porch pirates aren’t going anywhere. But neither is your ability to make their job a whole lot harder.
